“It was like pushing my means by means of to Narnia,” stated Steve Woolnough of his secret discover on Epping Forest’s western edge. Recognizing a sunlit patch of grass, he’d crawled by means of undergrowth to search out himself in a secluded bower of blackthorns. “These are timber that carry on giving,” he stated. “I will need to have had 4kg of sloes simply from these three or 4.”
These sloes, now being made into gin, wine, cordial and a wickedly tasty jelly at his residence in Highams Park, east London, are simply a part of what has change into an obsession and a lifesaver for Steve, 50, who was furloughed in Could from his job at a sports activities and occasions firm hit by Covid. Taking the household cockapoo, Billie, on lengthy forays as soon as his three kids had been again in school in September, he was struck by how heavy with inky blue-black fruit the forest’s many sloe timber had been – thanks partly to 2020’s heat, dry spring.
Having had durations of melancholy and anxiousness prior to now, Steve was alert to indicators of the sickness returning, and in addition conscious of pure methods to fight it: train, being open air, holding busy. Sloes had been his gateway drug, however a little bit of analysis confirmed that the forest had way more to supply.
It was the very finish of November when Steve, armed as he at all times is with a easy follow a hook on the tip, confirmed me spherical a few of his favorite foraging grounds. He talked enthusiastically about plump, vitamin C-rich rosehips; haws, fruits of the hawthorn tree, that are additionally good for the cardiovascular system; and firethorn berries, which may be made right into a semi-sweet wine like an orange-tinted rosé.
I assumed it was a bit late within the season for foraging, however I used to be improper. A crab apple tree nonetheless had some yellow fruits – sweeter and bigger late within the season. And when Steve led me to his non-public sloe grove – close to the place the weather-vaned gate of defunct Chingford soccer membership protrudes from tangled greenery like some Angkorian temple – the timber had been nonetheless laden. “Sloes have hundreds extra flavour now: they’re at all times higher after the primary frost,” he stated.
A brief stroll away, a gnarled, ancient-looking hawthorn was coated in berries. Like most of us I’ve seen these lots of of occasions however by no means bothered to style one. It was surprisingly candy and a bit mealy, like a ripe apple, and whilst you wouldn’t eat many of their pure state, Steve’s haw and apple jelly is scrumptious on toast. One other tip was to look out for midland hawthorns – discovered throughout southern England – with fewer lobes on their leaves and greater fruit.
Subsequent, we got here to some gorse bushes coated in yellow flowers. “The seeds and pods are toxic, however the flowers are edible, Steve stated. “Right here, strive – they’re form of pineapple-y and odor of coconut.” Whereas it’s not fairly a piña colada, the petals would brighten a winter salad superbly, and will also be made into fruit tea, cordial or syrup, or the buds pickled and eaten like capers. Spend time with foraging people and gin can be at all times be talked about in the end: certain sufficient, Isle of Harris Distillers within the Hebrides has simply launched a wild gorse tincture for flavouring G&Ts.
We had been too late for Steve’s different nice discover: on open floor inside earshot of the A1009 was a paradise apple tree – naked of fruit by now, although the bottom was coated in largish crimson windfalls. Candy sufficient to eat uncooked, that is Malus pumila, the wild apple of legend, native to jap Europe and used as rootstock for many cultivated apples. “You possibly can see this from the street, however nobody is aware of about it,” he stated.
Not everybody, after all, has a former royal searching forest on their doorstep, however that shouldn’t deter any forager. On a inexperienced amid residential streets Steve had noticed a “widespread pear” tree, once more laden with fruit – smaller and tougher than commercially grown pears, however with an important flavour. He pointed to his massive rucksack: “I crammed that thrice.” The pears at the moment are fermenting into perry at his residence. And no, it will likely be nothing like Babycham.
One other gem of recommendation from Steve was that fruits develop in in-between locations, the place one factor is turning into one other. They should be the place the daylight will get in, so edges of woods, by fields, roads, golf programs or parks are good locations to look.
One such liminal place was the banks of the River Lea between Walthamstow and Tottenham Marshes: as a baby within the Seventies Steve gathered horseradish there together with his dad, and he’d been not too long ago together with his personal son, Louka, 9. The plant appears to be like like a tall dock leaf, and has a faucet root that appears to go down for ever, but it surely’s potential, he stated, to dig up a six-inch size. (Prime of Steve’s Christmas listing this yr is a fold-up shovel for simply this objective.) And whereas he felt self-conscious at first, grubbing about and gathering issues in public locations, he stated he’s grown oblivious.
His shelf of goodies now included three massive jars of pickled and creamed horseradish. The latter is nice with roast beef dinners, however he stated a dice or two of the uncooked root provides zing to any casserole.
The foraging behavior has made Steve look on every part with a recent pair of eyes. Sea buckthorn berries are a preferred foraged ingredient – I’ll lengthy keep in mind a tart sea buckthorn stir-fry made by chef Mark Hartstone at restaurant-with rooms La Fosse in Dorset. Because the title suggests, it grows wild in coastal areas of the UK, however Steve had noticed it in just a few entrance gardens and stated he was tempted to knock and ask to choose some. Within the meantime he’s investigating making pesto from among the forest’s hundreds of thousands of acorns (leached to take away the bitter tannins).
With wild fruits, Steve emphasised the significance of guaranteeing there would nonetheless be some to gather in coming seasons. Whereas he used his hooked persist with catch excessive branches and produce their fruit inside attain, he was cautious by no means to interrupt them. “That means mould can get in and kill the tree.”
Aside from defending his psychological well being, Steve stated, his outside ardour had reached different components too: his eyesight had been improved by spending lengthy days gazing across the forest fairly than gazing a display. “Now I can spot a crop of hawthorn berries at 200 metres.”
This Christmas can be like none any of us can keep in mind, however those that can join with nature’s bounteous items – tangible and in any other case – might have a merrier time. Particularly if, like Steve, they’ve portions of do-it-yourself wine, gin and perry to toast the season with.
• Comply with Steve on Instagram @furloughedforager
